NCDHHS Provides One-Time Payment to Families with Children in Work First Cash Assistance Program

Today, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) began distributing a one-time supplemental payment to families enrolled in the Work First Cash Assistance program with one or more children. These payments are intended to help vulnerable families during the economic disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“So many North Carolina families are in need right now, with many people out of work or seeing a reduction in working hours,” said NCDHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen, M.D. “This one-time payment will provide thousands of our most economically vulnerable families with extra financial support to help pay for basic necessities.”

All Work First Cash Assistance families that received a benefit in April and had one or more children in their household will receive a supplement of $265 per child for a total of more than 17,000 children. Some families will receive the payment today on their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card, others will receive the payment on Monday via a direct deposit.

Work First is North Carolina’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. The Work First program provides parents with short-term training and other services to help them become employed and move toward self-sufficiency. Families in which grandparents and relatives are caring for their relative children and legal guardians can receive services and support that prevent children from unnecessarily entering the foster care system.